Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Cooling System and Dash

So the next weekend I was able to spend a lot of time in the garage.  I started out working on the dash.  I decided I wanted it to be as simple as I could make it.  I didn't want a cluttered dash with a bunch of switches, buttons, and lights.  I basically have all the gauges (RPM, Speedometer, oil pressure, water temp, fuel level, oil temp, voltage) and three switches (turn signal, ignition, headlights), and that's it on the dash.  Switches for high beams, horn, and seat heaters are all just under the dash.  I'm leaving off indicator lights for high beams and turn signals for now.  I'm thinking about trying to incorporate them into the gauge illumination.
I also decided I didn't like the way they suggest attaching the dash to the frame.  Screws through the dash leave screw heads visible on the front of the dash.  Since I was trying to keep the dash clean I decided to make some brackets and rivet them to the back of the dash so I could mount it to the frame from behind.
Once I had the layout of all the pieces I cut the holes in the aluminum dash for the switches, attached my brackets and then glued the vinyl cover to the aluminum panel.  I used every heavy object I could find in the garage to help ensure the vinyl pad would stay stuck to the aluminum panel.
While the dash dried I got to work on the cooling system assembly.  I mounted the radiator to the frame and used the supplied hose and fittings to get everything connected.  Nothing to difficult here.  I still need to find a better attachment for the lower hose to the frame, but the zip tie will hold it for now.

No comments:

Post a Comment